Generally, dye images obtained by the photographic processing of silver halide color photographic light-sensitive materials are composed of azometine dyes or indoaniline dyes formed by reactions of an oxidation product of an aromatic primary amine developing agent with couplers. The color photographic images thus obtained are not always stabilized to light, humidity or temperature, and fading or discoloration of dye images and discoloration of the white area result in deterioration of quality of images when they are exposed to light for a long period of time or preserved at a high temperature and high humidity.
Such fading and discoloration of the images are fatal faults for recording materials. Examples of methods for eliminating these defects include the use of couplers which cause less fading, the use of antifading agents to prevent fading by light, and the use of ultraviolet ray absorbing agents for preventing deterioration of images by ultraviolet rays.
For example, there are couplers described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,519,429, wherein a light fading prevention group is bonded. Examples of antifading agents having a phenolic hydroxy group or a group capable of forming the phenolic hydroxy group by hydrolysis include bisphenols described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 31256/73 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,177, hydroquinones and .alpha.-tocopherol described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,360,290, 6-hydroxychromans described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,300, 5-hydroxycoumarans described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,573,050, pyrogallol, gallic acid and esters thereof described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,262, and 6,6'-dihydroxy-2,2-bisspirochromans described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,337.
Examples of antifading agents wherein hydrogen of the phenolic hydroxy group is substituted by an alkyl group, etc., include compounds described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,910 derived from the above described 6,6'-dihydroxy-2,2-bisspirochroman, ether derivatives of 6-hydroxychroman and 5-hydroxychroman described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 17729/78 and ether derivatives derived from catechols described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 145530/79 and 21004/80.
These compounds do aid in the prevention of fading or discoloration of dye images. However, they are insufficient to satisfy the requirements of consumers who demand high quality images. They are unable to produce an overall excellent color photograph. Their defects include a change of color hue, occurrence of fogs, and inferior dispersion or formation of fine crystals after application of emulsions.